The Metal Scholar's Weekly Listening List (3rd June 2020)

In Light Of Recent Events

This week's edition is a day late as you would notice, as I observed the Music Industry Blackout yesterday in solidarity with Black Lives Matter protesters. I am in no way qualified to discuss the subject, so I have been watching, listening and learning to help myself help the people on the receiving end of daily racial abuse from others and the from the people that are supposedly meant to protect them. This doesn't mean my thoughts are not with them, the fundamentally basic human understanding that we are all part of this earth and that we all should have access to basic liberties and our human rights left untouched from violation. My understanding is that we should royally fuck all the isms  and phobias that cause harm and hate, innocent people should not be killed because of the colour of their skin and because of who they are. It is as simple as that. Institutionalised racism is real, it's everywhere, so deeply engrained that we MUST change this for the benefit of our future children. I understand that I will never understand but I can hear you. 2020 seems to be getting worse and worse so we all need to be looking out for each other, everything is being thrown at us to test us but we will get through this and we will come out stronger. I am again not fully qualified to discuss American politics but when the leader of supposedly the "greatest" and most powerful nation on the planet, turns out his lights and hides, that silence speaks volumes at very high decibel levels. The UK is not innocent and I will never hide that, if anything the sins of our fathers was the catalyst for this series of events hundreds of years ago. It is a deeply stressful, anxious, tense but ultimately sad and shameful chapter in human history. This is an important issue so please keep awareness going, there is no room for racism.

With the weather set to turn rainy (thankfully, the heat was getting unbearably sticky!), and me hoping that there is an epic thunderstorm, like Thor himself is cracking the sky! It'll be time to batten down the hatches and blast some ungodly metal or capitalise on pathetic fallacy and watch the scariest horror you can find. Here's my pre-storm (hopefully!) tunes to get you prepared. 

Singles Of The Week

I. Ossaert (🇳🇱) - I (Argento Records), Black Metal 

II. Behemoth (🇵🇱) - Evoe (New Aeon Musick), Blackened Death Metal 

III. Drouth (🇺🇸) - A Drowning In Sunlight (Translation Loss Records), Black Metal

IV. Thrållfrost (🇺🇸) - Fylgja (Independent), Black Metal

V. Onslaught (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) - Religiousuicide (AFM Records), Thrash Metal 

VI. Rannoch (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) - The Hanged Man (Eulogy Media), Progressive Death Metal 

VII. Árstíðir Lífsins (🇮🇸/🇩🇪) - Sem Járnklær Nætr Dragask Nærri (Ván Records), Pagan Black Metal

VIII. Northlane (🇦🇺) - Enemy Of The Night (UNFD), Metalcore 

IX. Hyperdontia (🇩🇰/🇹🇷) - Warping Sacristy (Me Saco un Ojo Records), Death Metal

X. Sinistral King (🇩🇪/🇳🇴/🇨🇭) - Serpent Uncoiling (Vendetta Records), Black Metal

Albums Of The Week

I. Brzask (🇵🇱) - Brzask (Independent), Death/Black Metal 

II. Rannoch (🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿) - Reflections Upon Darkness (Eulogy Media), Progressive Death Metal 

III. Árstíðir Lífsins (🇮🇸/🇩🇪) - Saga á Tveim Tungum II: Eigi Fjǫll Né Firðir (Ván Records), Pagan Black Metal

IV. Sinistral King (🇩🇪/🇳🇴/🇨🇭) - Serpent Uncoiling (Vendetta Records), Black Metal

V. Nyrst (🇮🇸) - Orsök (Dark Essence Records), Black Metal

Throwback Of The Week

This week's throwback is one completely out of the left field. In my down time, recently I've been watching a lot of Lord Of The Rings, Vikings, The Last Kingdom etc. and playing a lot of Skyrim. I'm still blown away at how amazing the soundtracks are for them all. So this weeks throwback is the soundtrack the first introduced me to the Rohan theme, a theme that I am still deeply in love with to this day.

Howard Shore (🇨🇦) - The Lord Of The Rings: The Two Towers OST (New Line Productions)

Weekly Listening Playlist